Taylor Bridge Fire & Turning Up The Heat

Taylor Bridge Fire & Turning Up The Heat plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Washington State has been battling a very large wildfire for the last week or so and there are high hopes that the Taylor Bridge fire will be contain by tomorrow. So far, 51 homes or cabins have been completely lost, 6 other homes have partial damage and 26 other properties had some other kind of structural damage. The estimated damage is $8.3 million dollars. Construction work on the Taylor Bridge is believed to be the cause of the blaze.

Congress has been on their August break and many farm groups were hoping to take the opportunity of turning up the heat on their local representatives over the lack of activity on the farm bill. That heat does not seem to be doing a lot and former Reagan Ag Secretary John Block says the House GOP will be more focused next month on the November elections. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley argues if anything can force House farm bill action - it’s the threat of farm law reversion to a much earlier time with rules that would never work today.

GRASSLEY: The realization that it’s not practical to let this sunset and go back to the 1949 farm bill is a major reason they’re going to have to act because the 1949 farm bill is for 70 years ago. That’s not for the agriculture of the 21st century.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

Students headed back to school this fall will notice changes in their school lunches. The USDA has released new nutritional requirements for public schools to follow starting this year. Schools must offer more whole grains and make sure that every student has a fruit or vegetable on their tray before they can get through the line. For those of us who grew up in the fifties and sixties this sounds like a no brainer. Who didn’t have to sit in the lunchroom at least once while the other kids went to recess because we had yet to eat our peas, green beans, broccoli, or brussels sprouts. My husband has his own grade school story about green beans and projectile vomiting. Now days though I guess the government has to lay down the law when it comes to healthy school lunches. Flavored milk, we just had the plain white variety in school when I was a kid, now has to be skim, and 1% is to be unflavored. Schools will now have to meet minimum requirements on dark green vegetables, as well red, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables and legumes a week. Coming in the near future will be sodium and caloric level requirements for school lunches, and probably lots of missed recesses.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.